Horn Players by Jean-Michel Basquiat

Horn Players, 1983, acrylic and oilstick on three canvas panels mounted on wood supports

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a classic Neo-Expressionist painter and New York native, a place in which he took great inspiration from. Born in 1960, Basquiat spent his childhood going to museums and studying fine art. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was introduced to the graffiti culture around him. Basquiat started by putting graffiti around lower Manhattan under the name of “SAMO”. Then, he moved on to selling handmade postcards on the street. Later on, in the 80s, he opened up his first solo exhibition and worked closely with Andy Warhol. 

Basquiat’s artwork often included references to 70s and 80s New York. He specifically enjoyed showing the growing jazz scene with new and upcoming artists, such as Dizzy Gillepsie and Charlie Parker. Horn Players, made in 1983 with acrylic and oil stick on three canvas panels, depicted such a scene. It is a triptych, three panels, with the center panel showing a jazz hub and the right and left sides illustrating Gillepsie and Parker respectively. The left side has an abstract depiction of Parker playing the saxophone and emitting several musical notes. One of the most recognizable characteristics of Basquiat’s art is the amount of wordplay in the background. The right panel has the words “doh shoo de obee”, representing the singing that Gillepsie performed on stage. “Orinthology” is the title of a famous composition by Parker, “Pree” is his daughter, and “Chan” is his wife. Basquiat used wordplay to indicate the jazz players. 

Ultimately, Horn Players exemplifies how Basquiat transformed the cultural energy of 70s and 80s New York into visual form. By combining graffiti aesthetics, expressive figures, and wordplay, Basquiat pays homage to the New York jazz scene.